Abstract

Variations in the policies used by virtual schools in relation to course enrollment trial periods and course completion impact the comparability of attrition statistics. We contacted 159 U.S. virtual schools and received responses from 86 schools, a response rate of 54%. 68.6% of respondents had trial periods that varied from one day to 185 days. Course completion definitions varied considerably from remaining in the course irrespective of the final grade to receiving an A-, considered a passing grade. These differences were examined based upon geographical region and school type. We recommend virtual schools adopt multiple measures for calculating student attrition to allow meaningful comparisons between virtual and also with brick and mortar schools.